11 injured in storm chaos

According to preliminary reports last night, eleven people were injured by the severe storms that wreaked havoc in Gauteng yesterday.

Two people were injured when the ceiling collapsed in the Cradlestone Mall in Mogale City yesterday afternoon while another nine were injured in the Delmas and Bapsfontein area after a reported tornado damaged a house and nearby business.

According to ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring, six people sustained minor to moderate injuries when a building off the R50 in Delmas was seriously damaged by the tornado.

Later paramedics also assisted a man and his two sons after their residence in the Bapsfontein area collapsed due to the tornado.

The Executive Mayor of Mogale City, Naga Lipudi, last night expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided by the West Rand District Municipality and the Gauteng provincial government in the aftermath of the storm.

According to a statement by Lipudi, about 64 people in Tarlton and 35 in Munsieville required accommodation after the storm rendered their homes uninhabitable. An estimated 80% of the homes in the Mayibuye Township were left roofless by the devastating storm.

Lipudi expected the picture to change as the damage caused was still being assessed last night. “The rand amount of the damage can only be expressed after a full assessment, which will obviously be done tomorrow when the situation is better,” reads Lipudi’s statement.

Affected families were housed in various community halls last night.

“We are grateful for the assistance in blankets, clothing and food that is being donated to the families. We hope that this solidarity can be displayed by all in the city so that we can make light the burden of affected families.

“Technical teams have also been deployed to various areas where electricity supply has been disrupted to ensure that it is restored. We appeal to communities to bear with us during this time as we try to bring life back to normal.” – Citizen reporter See Page 5